World
Will European agriculture convert to new genomic techniques?
The European Union has just taken a step towards deregulating New Genomic Techniques used for the improvement of agricultural plants. The agrichemical sector argues that they are essential to ensuring the future of food production, but many remain sceptical.
In the late 20th century, genes from different species were introduced into seeds, creating Genetically Modified Organisms, known as GMOs. The aim of the technology is to develop more resilient plant lines and increase productivity.
About two decades ago, the European Union implemented strict rules to cover authorisation, labelling and risk assessment; but now it has proposed deregulation of New Genomic Techniques, which modify the plants’ own genes.
“The European Commission has decided to create two categories: one for products from these new techniques and one for the old ones, which will continue to be subject to the existing rules. However, some people think that these new types of GMOs carry the same risks as the old ones, with unpredictable impacts on the environment,” explains Robert Hodgson, who covers the issue for Euronews.
The controversy is likely to flare up again because this month the governments of the 27 member states reached an agreement on the proposal, and ministers will now have to reach a consensus with the European Parliament, which has a different position on thorny issues such as patents and labelling.
On a short tour of several cities, Euronews collected some European opinions. “I’m not totally against it. It would be important to do thorough research to determine if it has any side effects,” said a Berlin resident.
“In recent decades there has been a huge development of this technology and we still do not have full control over it,” said another from Warsaw (Poland).
“They need to be labelled, it’s absolutely necessary so that the consumer can have a choice. Personally, I wouldn’t buy them,” was the opinion of a passer-by in Lyon (France).
Biotechnology experts argue that these plant varieties will be more resistant to drought, pests and require less fertilizer. Health issues such as allergies are also being targeted, through low-gluten grains for example.
Detractors point to the risks: disruption of pollinating insects, contamination of organic agricultural products, reduced access to seeds for small farmers and unforeseen effects on human health.
Will patents lead to small farmers exclusion?
The European Council was divided on whether to allow patents, weighing arguments that this could restrict the choices available to farmers and create monopolies. It took almost a year for them to decide to allow patents, as long as their specific reporting requirements were met.
The European Parliament’s position is to completely ban patents, explained one of the shadow rapporteurs for the legislative review.
“If a few big international agrichemical groups have a monopoly on seeds, farmers will pay more, they won’t be able to choose and, above all, we will no longer be able to openly innovate on varieties,” said Christophe Clergeau, a French centre-left MEP.
Few member states have actually shown much interest in GM crops, Spain being the exception. In many countries, these techniques have even been banned, with governments exercising their right to opt-out, but this option may no longer exist for all categories.
“It was about ten years ago when this issue really became a political hot potato and there was a lot of public opposition in Europe. Governments demanded an opt-out and they granted it,” explains Hodgson, adding: “As plants in the new category will be largely equivalent to common natural plants, governments will no longer have the option of banning their cultivation.”
Parliamentarian Clergeau stresses that “we are at the beginning of this new technology”, arguing that the EU must be very careful because “when we intervene in nature, we trigger cascades of changes that can pose dangers to biodiversity”.
ADVERTISEMENTA new world of possibilities is rapidly opening up for food production, with researchers already exploring how generative artificial intelligence can be applied to the technology. Not without controversy!
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Journalist: Isabel Marques da Silva
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More than 1,600 rescue workers have arrived and 25 flights filled with aid will land over the next day in Venezuela after earthquakes devastated the country on Wednesday, according to Venezuela’s vice minister of foreign affairs, Oliver Blanco.
World
American rescue teams pull infant alive from rubble in Venezuela days after devastating twin earthquakes
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American search-and-rescue teams pulled an infant alive from beneath the rubble in Venezuela days after the country’s devastating earthquakes, the U.S. Department of State said Saturday.
The State Department shared video on social media showing U.S. personnel pulling the infant from the rubble as rescue crews continued searching for survivors more than 72 hours after two powerful earthquakes struck the South American country.
The infant was 9 months old and was rescued along with her mother, the State Department told Fox News Digital. Both suffered only minor injuries, according to the rescue team.
“This heroic rescue was carried out in Catia La Mar by the Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue team (USA-01), which deployed to Venezuela on June 26 following activation by the State Department,” a State Department spokesperson said.
TRUMP SAYS VENEZUELA EARTHQUAKES LEFT ‘DEVASTATING NUMBER OF DEATHS’ AS US READIES AID
American search-and-rescue teams rescued an infant trapped beneath the rubble following this week’s deadly earthquakes in Venezuela, according to the State Department. (Department of State)
The rescue comes as emergency crews race against time to locate survivors before the critical rescue window closes.
“Against impossible odds, hope endures,” the State Department posted on X.
“American search and rescue teams rescued an infant from beneath the rubble following the earthquake in Venezuela,” the post continued. “Every life saved is a victory.”
The White House also shared the video, calling it “America at its best.”
“Thank you to the American search and rescue teams providing assistance in Venezuela,” the White House wrote.
PLAYERS, FANS FLEE STADIUM AS POWERFUL EARTHQUAKES STRIKE DURING VENEZUELA BASEBALL GAME
Rescue workers search through the rubble three days after earthquakes struck Catia la Mar, Venezuela. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Round-the-clock rescue efforts have continued since magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes struck Venezuela’s northern coast Wednesday.
As of Saturday evening, officials said the death toll from the twin earthquakes had reached 1,430.
Earlier Saturday, officials reported that 243 people had been rescued.
FORMER METS PITCHER NARROWLY ESCAPES DEATH IN VENEZUELA EARTHQUAKES THANKS TO ELEVATOR MALFUNCTION
Rescue personnel with a rescue dog assist in rescue efforts after earthquakes hit the country, in La Guaira, Venezuela, Saturday. (REUTERS/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria)
According to The Associated Press, more than 68,000 people remain missing across the country.
Aid groups consider the first 48 to 72 hours after a disaster to be the most critical window for finding survivors, though access to food and water can extend that period.
Venezuelan officials said 17 flights carrying more than 1,600 rescue personnel had arrived Saturday to assist with search-and-rescue efforts.
US RESCUE TEAMS TO DESCEND ON HARD-HIT CARIBBEAN AFTER CATASTROPHIC HURRICANE MELISSA’S IMPACT
Members of the County of Los Angeles Fire Department’s international urban search and rescue team (USA-2) prepare to leave for Venezuela, in Pacoima, Calif., on Thursday. (Blake Fagan/AFP via Getty Images)
Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams from Virginia, California and Florida were dispatched to Venezuela on Friday to help search collapsed buildings.
According to the State Department, the three USAR teams include 312 personnel and 18 canine teams, including firefighters, physicians, structural engineers and canine search specialists. The teams also deployed more than 200,000 pounds of specialized rescue equipment.
The Los Angeles County team includes 73 members equipped with concrete-breaking equipment and specialized listening devices used to detect survivors trapped beneath debris.
COLORADO AVALANCHE VICTIM RESCUED IN DRAMATIC VIDEO
Responders search for victims in a demolished building in Caracas, Venezuela, after a magnitude 7.2 earthquake and a 7.5 aftershock struck the region. (Jesus Vargas/Getty Images)
Rescuers have fanned out across La Guaira, where the worst destruction occurred, and parts of Caracas, where families and volunteers have spent days pulling survivors and victims from the rubble.
The United States has pledged $150 million in emergency assistance and support for international relief organizations responding to the disaster.
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Fox News Digital has reached out to the State Department for additional information on the rescue.
Fox News Digital’s James Cirrone, and The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić announced on Saturday that he will resign in the coming weeks and called for early presidential and parliamentary elections.
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“I will be president for only a few weeks, and then I will resign,” Vučić told supporters at a rally in Belgrade. His second and final term was due to expire in mid-2027.
His remarks followed recent comments suggesting he could step down, amid speculation that he may seek a return as prime minister, a position he held from 2014 to 2017
It also follows a year and a half of student-led anti-corruption protests, triggered by the collapse of a railway station canopy in Novi Sad that killed 16 people. The protesters have been demanding early elections.
During his speech, Vučić said he would support his Serbian Progressive Party in the upcoming elections, including snap parliamentary polls originally scheduled for next year.
He did not provide a specific timeline for his resignation or for the dissolution of parliament, which is required before early legislative elections can be held.
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